Since yesterday I posted something about dreams, I’d continue the “series” with the reasons why sleep matters so much. Since we sleep somewhere around one third of our life, I think it’s important to find out what’s its purpose, don’t you think?
If you’re a human, you sleep. However, let’s get a more “professional” look about what sleep really is:
“Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, but more reactive than coma or disorders of consciousness, sleep displaying very different and active brain patterns.” – Wikipedia
- It allows us to “virtually” fulfill our desires
As mentioned before, our dreams and nightmares can reflect what happens in our subconscious and thanks to it, some of that energy is released. Because it’s released “virtually”, there is no need to be released in reality (or at least, the energy isn’t that strong anymore) because the dream feels real enough.
- Our body heals in our sleep
“During sleep, most of the body’s systems are in an anabolic state, helping to restore the immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems; these are vital processes that maintain mood, memory, and cognitive function, and play a large role in the function of the endocrine and immune systems. The internal circadian clock promotes sleep daily at night. The diverse purposes and mechanisms of sleep are the subject of substantial ongoing research.” – Wikipedia
- It “charges our batteries” (obviously)
Technically, we should feel rested after 7-9 hours of sleep (that’s what studies say it is required), but we know that it doesn’t happen every time. Sometimes we feel worse than a bird’s poop that fell from 30 meters. Nevertheless, we can proper function after 7-9 hours of sleep (and at least two coffees).
- Our thinking pattern is broken
It is, but only for a while. If you’re sad or mad or whatever, you’ll be ok while you sleep and your mind can take a break from that (in theory). But when you wake up, after a few seconds, all of that can rush back in if it’s that important to you.
So yeah, even if you hear a lot about hard work, hustle and grind, don’t forget about sleeping because that’s very important for your health. Your body won’t consume so much energy as it does while you’re awake and your mind can be at peace for a while.
How many hours do you sleep per night?